The fixer and the facts machine: unveiling Newcastle's odd couple

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&#183 Jeff Vetere the Real deal say his former colleagues as the talent spotter enters Toon.
&#183Click here to read about businessman Tony Jimenez, Newcastle's new vice-president and player recruitment specialist

He may not be a household name within English football circles but Jeff Vetere is held in high regard at Spain's biggest club and could well prove to the most valuable of Newcastle United's latest batch of coaching recruits.

Staff at Real Madrid's Valdebebas HQ speak extremely highly of Newcastle's newest head of player recruitment, both personally and professionally. An Englishman who is fluent in Spanish, French and Italian, Vetere spent four months at Madrid under the technical director, Miguel Angel Portugal, and the club's director of international football, the former Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano goalkeeper Julen Lopetegui. His role was to help the Spanish club scout and sign the best talents across the world.

It was a glamorous role, particularly for a man whose playing career did not extend beyond being an apprentice at Luton Town and whose first serious coaching role was at non-league Rushden & Diamonds.

Vetere was brought to the Northamptonshire club by Brian Talbot soon after he became the manager there in 1997 to head up their newly established youth academy. Rushden were one of the first non-league sides to have such a set-up and Vetere, who Talbot had first heard of while managing the Maltese club side Marsaxlokk, was seen as having the credentials to develop and manage a potentially bright crop of young players.

Few players, however, emerged through Rushden's academy in the three years Vetere was there. The most notable was Andrew Burgess who has made more than 200 appearances for the club since 1999 and is now in his second spell there. But the midfielder speaks highly of the man who nurtured his career. "I was not surprised that Jeff [Vetere] ended up at Real Madrid because the guy is a walking encyclopedia of footballing knowledge," Burgess said. "Mention the name of any footballer and he will tell you who he has played for, how many goals he has scored and even what size boots he wears."

Vetere next moved to Charlton Athletic where his official role was overseas coordinator but day-to-day involvement included working with the youth team. The full-back Grant Basey, who broke into the first team last year at the age of 19, has credited Vetere with his development.

Having worked with him at Charlton, Alan Curbishley brought Vetere to West Ham in January last year to work as a part-time overseas scout. He was snapped up by Madrid at the end of the season and is now one of Newcastle's latest signings. Vetere, in turn, will be hoping to make some significant signings of his own.